


To hear you tell me that you are mine

by the_milky_way



Series: Eddie Diaz Week 2021 [5]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Awesome Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Bobby Knows, Caring Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Comforting Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz Week 2021, Eddie Diaz figures out his feelings, Eddie Diaz is Bad at Feelings (9-1-1 TV), Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Insecure Evan "Buck" Buckley, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Relationship Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley, Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Supportive Bobby Nash, Supportive Evan "Buck" Buckley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29887026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_milky_way/pseuds/the_milky_way
Summary: Eddie has the most significant revelations about himself at the most insignificant moments in his life. It’s always been like that and he’s pretty sure it will continue to be so.orEddie is figuring out his feelings for his best friend, while his best friend waits for him to get a clue. There might be a hoodie involved, too.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Eddie Diaz Week 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189010
Comments: 32
Kudos: 428
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	To hear you tell me that you are mine

**Author's Note:**

> I had to skip yesterday, so I combined the prompts for Day 5 and 6 of [Eddie Diaz Week 2021](https://eddiediazweek.tumblr.com/)
> 
> “Please don’t do this.” + sacrifice  
> “I don’t think I’m strong enough.” + faith
> 
> Title comes from Welshly Arms "We Move Easy"

Eddie has the most significant revelations about himself at the most insignificant moments in his life. It’s always been like that and he’s pretty sure it will continue to be so. He has a fleeting thought about maybe finding men attractive, too, while sitting in a fast food joint joking around with buddies about fucked up sports traditions. Just, you know, thinking arbitrarily about it and deciding that it might be true for him. 

He realizes he wants to make out with one of his army buddies while being out on a shopping trip with his sister when he is on leave. He almost stops right there in the middle of the mall. Only doesn’t because his sister has a mean pull and he doesn’t want to return to duty with a dislocated shoulder. It's just a thought that turns into a realization that turns into action when opportunity presents itself. Before he runs back home and ask Shannon on a date.

He admits to himself that he isn’t in love with Shannon any longer during a trip to the beach watching Christopher happily building a sandcastle. He still loves her, still considers them something worth fighting for. Will always do so. But he isn’t in love. Not like he used to be. Not like he is supposed to be.

Figures that the moment he actually registers that he might need to reconsider his feelings for his best friend is as mundane as it can be. So mundane that it in fact takes him almost hours to even realize that it was indeed very significant. 

+++

Shift has been the usual mix of easy calls and downtime so far, nothing to write home about. They cleaned the bay, tidied up the bunk room and have now resorted to going through their lockers. Once in a while a good spring cleaning does wonders for morale and their olfactory senses. 

Hen had simply swept everything in her locker into a basket, had sat down next to the trashcan and had been done within five minutes. Chim not far behind. But that isn’t even a surprise, seeing as he barely has anything in his locker. Eddie can hear them now, arguing over whose turn it is to go through the supply closet next to the showers.

So it’s just Eddie and Buck left on this side of the lockers now. They both have too much stuff in there as it seems. Several sets of changes and underwear as well as another set of uniforms each are hiding in the back of their lockers. There’s also a blanket in Buck’s case and an old hoodie in Eddie’s. 

Bottles of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and several sticks of deodorant are piled on the bench behind them already. It’s an impressive amount of things considering that the lockers aren’t all that big.

Eddie grabs a trash bag and starts to sort through the bottles first. Half empty ones are put aside to be filled into one bottle later. Ones with dried crusts or squeeze marks that suggest they are close to empty find their way into the bag without a second thought. Eddie doesn’t even check if it’s his or Buck’s stuff, simply knowing they are working in tandem here.

Buck’s upper half is almost entirely vanished into Eddie’s locker now. Grunting and groaning with disgust while scrubbing the surface inside with the strongest non-toxic cleaner they could find. Eddie would feel guilty if Buck hadn’t lost rock, paper, scissors. He snorts a little though when Buck pretends to gag. Eddie knows his locker is dusty at best and not really as close to a toxic waste side as Buck makes it seem.

“You are a pig, Eddie,” Buck’s disembodied voice sounds from within the depth of the locker. It sounds funny, so Eddie laughs. 

“Seriously. How many pig-out sessions with crackers have you had in here?” Bucks sounds exasperated but fond at the same time. 

For a minute there Eddie tries to remember where the remains of crackers might have come from and when he does he laughs again.

“Remember the sleepover Chris had all those months ago?”

Buck slides out of the locker with a disgusted glare at the rag in his hand before dunking it into a bucket with fresh soap water and then wringing the life out of it when it comes up again. It looks so domestic that Eddie gets caught up in the view, eyes fixed on bulking biceps and bony wrists. Not the time he tells himself.

“You mean the last one before the world went crazy?”

“Yeah. Everyone had to bring snacks. We went for crackers. Forgot that I had a package as a back-up in my work bag. Got crushed when I flung my boots in there. Those are the sad rests. Sorry about that.”

He doesn’t feel sorry at all and Buck knows it, too. The look he gets has him grinning all wide and exaggerated. The eye roll that follows is way worth it. It looks cute on Buck. 

Eddie blinks, tries to reverse a step in his thought process but gets distracted by the sight of Buck diving back into the locker. Ass up and hips wriggling. He goes back to sorting through bottles, mind a little blank but not really knowing why. When the bottles are done, remaining ones neatly packed away in a basked to be put back into the lockers later, Eddie turns towards heap of clothes on the floor. Just thinking about having to bend down time and time again makes his joints hurt in sympathy. He grabs the lot and put is on the bench before sitting down on it himself.

He has made a decent dent in the pile when Buck backs out of his own locker. Eddie can barely hold back from commenting on the betrayed look Buck sends one of the shelves in there. He does smirk though when Buck turns to look at him. 

“Shut up.”

“Haven’t said a word.” The smirk slides into a smile and Eddie knows how cocky he looks right now. It’s not like Buck hasn’t told him enough times. 

“You were thinking words, though.”

“I am always thinking words,” Eddie answers with a laugh and manages to duck under the dirty rag Buck throws his way. 

“Fuck off, Diaz. Next time, you clean,” Buck mutters under his breath while scrambling after the rug. He dunks it back into the bucket but leaves it there this time, apparently done with this part of the task. Buck remains standing but slides the pile into the middle of the bench so he can reach it, too.

The grin stays on Eddie’s lips as they silently start to go through the accumulation of clothes they somehow managed to hide in their respective lockers. Eddie finds a shirt he was sure he’d already trashed and does so now.The silence between them is comfortable, relaxed. 

Until it isn’t. 

At first Eddie doesn’t register where the sound is coming from, too busy trying to decide if the trash bag can hold the old Army hoodie in his hands or if he needs to open a new one. It’s when he hears this half choked mewl come again that he looks up and finds Buck staring at him. Or rather, staring at the hoodie in his hands. For a second there Eddie is really confused. 

**“Please, don’t do this.”** It’s spoken so low, that it’s almost inaudible. And if Eddie wasn’t standing so close to Buck he probably wouldn’t have heard it. He looks down at the piece of cloth that’s so threadbare it’s almost see-through in some places. He’s still confused.

“What? Throw this away?”

The nod he gets is minimal, as if Buck doesn’t dare to do more, to say more. There’s a flush spreading over his cheeks now and he has his head ducked looking down instead of Eddie. 

“Why?”

Because really, why doesn’t Buck want him to get rid of one of his old hoodies he didn’t even know he still has? To think about it, Eddie is pretty sure this didn’t come out of his locker. The pile next to him is a mixture of both their stuff. He can see Buck’s extra sweats and workout shirt peeking out from under one of his own extra shirts. 

When he lets his eyes drift back up Buck still isn’t looking at him, hasn’t answered him either. But he’s fidgeting now, twisting his fingers into knots that hurt Eddie just by looking at them. Buck also sort of moves from foot to foot as if fighting the urge to flee, which should be funny but only starts to worry Eddie. 

“Buck?”

“Uh… I... this is… hard to explain?” It’s a question more than anything, as if Buck isn’t sure if it’s really all that hard to explain or if it’s just him having a hard time finding the right words. 

Buck shrugs a little, head still held low but finally daring to glance at Eddie. There’s something in those eyes, Eddie thinks. Embarrassment. Fear, too. But also something soft that Eddie’s yet to recognize. 

“Okay. Maybe try anyway? Otherwise I don’t see a reason to keep this old rag.” 

Eddie knows it’s a little mean to force Buck’s hand like this. There’s a reason why he wants to keep Eddie’s hoodie around and as selfish as it sounds right now, Eddie wants to know why. It’s still his hoodie after all. Even if Buck has stolen it as it seems. But at the same time Eddie knows he’ll stop asking if Buck really doesn’t want to talk about it. He’ll just hand it over and never talk about it again, if that’s what Buck wants.

“I… you gave it to me. That… that day after the well. When you were back home. You wore it. And I couldn’t…” Buck stops then, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, fingers slightly twisting in curls that have sprung free during his cleaning spree earlier.

“You couldn’t stop shivering.” Eddie says, remembering now. It’s a day maybe two he doesn’t like to come back to. He still knows what Buck’s talking about, though. Remembers Buck hovering around the edges, not daring to come closer in fear of imposing or being too much. Eddie knows this because Buck told him. Eddie also remembers Buck shivering like there was no tomorrow.

“Yeah.”

“And you kept it.” 

It’s not a question, it’s a fact. Because obviously Buck did. The shrug and sheepish look thrown his way is almost enough to make him laugh. It’s such a Buck thing that it hurts a little. Because Buck does this when he feels insecure, feels unsure of what the right words are, the right reaction should look like. 

“Was going to give it back…” Buck says, flops down onto the bench, turns to the pile of clothes and starts sorting, again. It's as if he needs to keep busy with something to be able to handle this situation. At least the flight instinct seems to have settled somewhat Eddie thinks. 

“In about 50 years or so.”

Eddie doesn’t know what to say to that. It’s obviously a joke and he wants to laugh it up. But he can’t. There’s a breath stuck in his chest, where his heart sort of beats a tad harder now. 

“Really?” Is what he ends up with.

“What? It’s warm,” Buck protests, looking even more sheepish. “It… it just.. you know… keeps reminding me… that you are alive. When you gave it to me… it was still warm. Smelled like you. Helped.. helps a little to keep my thoughts straight. To… uh… have you close in a way. In my life.”

And that’s a lot to take in. 

Buck keeps on sorting, watches his hands unwind tangled garments instead of Eddie. But his eyes twitch up now and then, glide over Eddie’s face as if to gauge his reaction. Waiting for a decision. Insecurity shining brightly but yet again also something Eddie doesn’t dare to latch on to. 

It’s too much right now.

Flashes of Buck sort of zip through his head - Buck being curled up on one of the couches in the loft when Eddie came in late for a short shift or Buck standing at his locker after a hard call, fingers stroking over something. The common denominator in all these instances? Eddie’s hoodie being close to Buck. Either serving as a pillow or as something to hold onto, to maybe keep himself grounded in reality.

Eddie looks down, takes in the fabric that isn’t anything special, lets his eyes slide over the letters on it. And it’s not really a conscious decision but he carefully folds the hoodie, one side at a time until it's a compact package. Ready to fit into a locker. 

Then he simply slides it over to Buck. Heart thudding wildly and mind almost blank. He hopes he isn’t crossing a line here but then remembers that Buck asked him not to throw it out. So, it should be okay, right?

Wide eyes meet his. Surprise clearly present. 

He’s not sure why it hurts a little, why Buck thinking he’d ignore his request makes something squeeze tight in his chest. Eddie only knows that he’ll do anything for Buck. Do anything to help him feel better, do anything possible to make him happy.

And if that includes sacrificing an old hoodie (that he was about to throw away anyway, but who cares) than so be it.

“Thank you.” 

Whispered into the space between them. Meaningful and reverent. 

Eddie nods. He wants to say something but the alarm catches him mid-breath and he benches his thoughts for after the shift. Buck seems almost giddy then, about the alarm and maybe about something more. Has this little hop in his step when he runs towards their gear and the rig. 

For some reason Eddie chances a glance back and grins when he sees the hoodie safely tucked away on one of the shelves in Buck’s locker. He chooses to ignore the chaos of everything else, they can deal with that later.

+++

The realization comes when Eddie’s home, in bed and trying to figure out why that situation between him and Buck felt so meaningful to him. It’s not like he came home and decided to think about it either. No. It is trying to find a shirt to sleep in that sort of brings him back full circle.

Of course it is an Army shirt. Not as old as the hoodie but still worn often enough that it is equally as soft. Eddie gets why Buck sort of misappropriated said hoodie, besides apparently feeling safe and being reminded of Eddie that is. Just remembering Buck's look, amazed and so incredibly soft, makes Eddie swallow heavily. It's not the frist time he lies awake thinking about Buck. But it's the frist time after what he thinks might be a vers significant moment for their relationship.

Thinking about how it makes him feel knowing that Buck has found this kind of lifeline, this kind of anchor in a piece that used to belong to Eddie sort of sends him into a spiral. He twists and turns, flings the blanket off only to pull it back up. The shadows in his room play tricks, have him squeezing his eyes shut so he can’t see them any longer. 

It’s a wild night. The first one. 

He’s never been good with feelings. Has gotten better the last few years, though. It’s just so him to not realize something as fundamental as falling in love with his best friend. Because that’s what this is about. 

Sliding the hoodie across the bench clicked something into place. As pathetic and cliché as it sounds, it felt like he was handing a piece of himself over. Only to realize that he’d already done just that. Years ago and along the way. Without catching on. Handing the hoodie over has crossed a line they have been lingering close to for ages.

The thing is, thinking about it has Eddie scrambling back a hundred steps trying to maintain the status quo. He’s not ruining the best friendship he’s ever had in his life. He. Is. Not.

So he lies there, in his bed, blanket clutched so tightly that his fingers cramp and hurt. Mind whirling but carefully blank at the same time. A text from Buck about a documentary featuring sea snails has him snort and basically puts an end to it all. For the night at least. He is not losing this for being selfish.

But what if it wouldn’t destroy anything? What if it could work out? What if he could be happy?

++++

The thoughts fester, though. The what if’s have him floundering along without really knowing how to regain his footing. It’s not all that obvious or so he hopes. But maybe obvious enough that his friends spare him concerned looks during his next shift.

He is too silent, too broody. And he doesn’t want to be. But he can’t help it. Eddie is stuck on the fact that he didn’t even realize he fell in love. It just won't compute. 

It goes on for a week or so. 

And things basically seem normal. Which has Eddie floundering even more. Because Buck just laughs with him, joins him in the gym, doesn’t avoid touch and basically lives in Eddie’s personal space. Like he always does. 

There are movie nights at either of their places, outings to the park with Christopher, cooking sessions where Buck tries his best to teach Eddie the basics (and really, he is not that bad. He can cook. Just not too well). Eddie couldn’t take a step back even if he wanted to. It’s like the moment in the locker room never happened.

It’s confusing and it’s not. It’s hell and it’s heaven. It’s all Eddie wants and everything he hates. Eddie doesn’t know how to go on or what to do next, so he simply keeps doing what has worked the last few years. Only, more silently apparently.

Bobby siddles up to him at a call when he’s occupied with stowing away the jaws and generllay not being in the best position to deal with being interrogated. 

“You good?” 

The captain leans against the truck so that he can watch the scene and keep an eye on his crew cleaning up. Eddie chances a look and catches Buck talking to Athena. Are they being tag-teamed? He looks at Bobby with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t look at me like that. Just asking to make sure everything is okay.”

“I get that. But why?”

This time it’s Bobby who cocks an eyebrow and adapts a look that Eddie knows only too well. It’s the prelude to a Serious Talk (yes, capital letters are needed here).

“You have been unusually… Well, let’s say less sarcastic. Quiet even.”

Eddie stares at Bobby, who actually laughs and mutters that they aren’t at the station so it doesn’t count. Eddie lets it slide.

“And that’s new exactly how?”

“If this were the you from two years ago or even one year ago, I’d agree. But now? It’s unusual. Eddie, if there is something on your mind you need or want to talk about, you know I’m here. The offer always stands, no matter what.”

“I know. Thanks, Bobby. Let me… let me sort it through in my head first, okay?”

Because that’s all Eddie can offer for now. He’s not ready to talk about any of it. Isn’t sure if he ever will be. But Bobby nods, smiles a little and pats him on the back, understanding the need to come to terms with things first.

“Also, did you just insinuate that I’ve become talkative? Like, Buck has rubbed off on me or something?”

“You wish.” 

Eddie doesn’t jump at Buck’s voice. It’s not even a close thing but his heart sure as hell does. He hadn’t even seen Buck being done with Athena and walking back to the truck. Too busy keeping Bobby off his case there.

And that’s another thing Eddie has been struggling with. Buck’s.. well, it’s flirting, clean and simple. Only, Eddie can’t pace if it’s meant as a joke or if Buck is actually actively trying to, you know, flirt with him. It’s been around ever since they told each other they’ll have the other’s back. It has increased recently, though.

Eddie can pinpoint the moment when it did. The morning after the locker room. Buck has welcomed him with a cup of perfectly brewed coffee and a plate full of Eddie’s favorite pastries. The “sweets for my sweet” sort of got lost among the alarm blaring but Eddie is still pretty sure he heard it. It's all these little things lately. A remark here, a gesture there. It’s making it increasingly harder for Eddie to keep his resolve and not give in to temptation.

He glares at Buck as he climbs into the cabin laughing like he just made the best joke ever. Eddie can’t even be mad because the laughter is basically everything to him. Buck laughs way too rarely, at least like this. Any chance Eddie can help with that he takes, even if it’s at his own expense. And Eddie just knows that the glare softened into something completely different.

When he moves to get into the truck as well, he catches sight of Bobby looking at him and stops. The captain’s always present mysterious smile is there and some sort of amusement in his eyes as well. Eddie really doesn’t want to know what the man is thinking right now.

“You know, when I told Buck to work with you and he said you might end up being real close, I never thought of this. But I can’t say I mind. It’s a good look on both of you.”

Eddie just huffs. Because no. They are not talking about this. He hurriedly climbs into the cabin only to hear Bobby laugh at him. For a brief second he wonders if his heart eyes have been this obvious the entire time. And then decides that he’s not thinking about this either. There are a lot of things he’s currently not thinking about.

Buck’s smug grin across from him included. 

+++

In the end it’s Hen that sort of makes him take the leap of faith, so to speak. It’s another week of Eddie silently trying to work through his jumbled mind and feelings before she sits down next to him in the loft.

They are in the middle of a 24 hours shift and most of the team has slunk off to the bunks or claimed a quiet corner in the station. It’s that time between calls everyone uses to collect themselves, be alone for a precious minute or two. Eddie is sitting on one of the larger couches, book open and eyes fixed on the page. He hasn’t read a single word in 30 minutes. His eyes keep sliding over them but his brain can’t make meaning of anything he sees. It’s too busy wondering where Buck is. 

The last call had been rough. No casualties but physically and emotionally demanding. They had spent the drive back pressed close together, seeking comfort and reassurance. But once at the station Buck had vanished, which left Eddie feeling bereft somehow. When he couldn’t find Buck in the locker room or the bay or the gym he had given up and planted himself where he could overlook the stairs and most of the loft.

It’s been 40 minutes now. After ten minutes of waiting Eddie felt weird just sitting there and grabbed the book he’d left on the table two shifts ago. His marker was still in place. And it is now. 

“Turning pages might help with the reading experience.”

Eddie blinks at the words. It takes him an embarrassingly long time to register that they didn’t come from thin air but from Hen sitting at the other end of the couch. She is smiling at him, eyebrows raised and eyes sparkling.

“Right.”

He flips the book close and tosses it back onto the table. He should get up and maybe hide in the bunks, too. A bit of sleep can’t hurt. But he’s feeling too lazy to move and his cup of tea is still half full.

“Mind occupied?” Hen asks. Curious but not demanding. She would be okay with him not answering. He feels like talking, though. For some reason he feels like talking to Hen right now.

“Yeah.” He wants to talk, he just can’t find the right words.

“He is in the ambo.” The smile she sends him when he hums confusedly is fond. “He is in the ambo watching cat videos on his phone. Said he needed a little space for himself and didn’t want to disturb anybody.”

So now he at least knows where Buck is. Good. He nods at Hen and goes back to staring at his cup. The tea looks a little less healthy than it did half an hour ago but he thinks it’s still warm enough not to be disgusting. He made the mistake once and has learned his lesson. Cold Lady Grey tea with sugar is not okay.

“Eddie?”

“Huh?”

“Go to him,” Hen sounds exasperated. Not like she is done with his apparent stupidity but more like she wants him to get a clue. Which yeah, good idea. If only he could figure out what she’s saying.

“Didn’t you just tell me he wants space?”

“Yeah, so that you know no one will disturb you, when you go and be with him. He wants you there. Eddie, I have watched this little dance you two do for ages now. More so those last few weeks. I know something happened. I don’t know what but it’s pretty clear that it gave you something to think about. So just tell him.”

She is right of course. This can’t go on forever. Either he says something or gets himself under control. It might destroy everything either way. If Hen’s right and Buck is waiting for him, how long will he do that? How long will Buck be willing to put up with Eddie trying to figure his shit out?

 **“I don’t think I’m strong enough,”** he admits. Not because he wants pity from her but because it’s what he is thinking at this exact moment.

“And I think you are. Have a little faith in yourself and in Buck, Eddie. He loves you, no matter what. You just have to figure out in which way and how to go from there.”

“What if it doesn’t…,” he doesn’t get to finish the thought because Hen huffs goodnaturedly.

“What if it does?”

Right. Because that possibility exists. It does. It’s right there in front of him. He only has to go and grab it. He suddenly thinks of Chris. How he’d take something like this happening. It’s almost funny how fast he comes to the conclusion that Chris would absolutely love it. Having Buck around more than now? Having a father that is happy? It’s a no-brainer really.

It still takes Eddie another minute or two to get up. He squeezes Hen’s shoulder in silent thanks, smiles back at her when she huffs a laugh and pets his hand.

His heart is pounding when he makes his way down the stairs and into the bay. He knows exactly which ambo Buck is hiding in. The new one with the more comfortable seats in the back and the leg room. He knows he’s right when he sees light flickering inside and low noises of cats meowing filtering through the closed door. The smile is instant, a reflex when it comes to Buck these days. Eddie isn’t sure who he tried to kid these last few weeks but it’s obvious now that it didn’t work.

He feels a little stupid knocking but doesn’t want to barge in and destroy Buck’s downtime in case he isn’t welcome. Buck’s face appears above him. Nose pressed against the glass of the back doors and eyes crossed. Eddie laughs, can’t help it. He shakes his head and grins when Buck opens the door.

“Took you long enough.”

“Might have worked better if you told me where you were hiding,” Eddie answers in the most cocky way he can come up with while climbing into the ambo truck and closing the door behind himself.

“Not what I meant,” Buck says. His smile is soft, widens a bit when Eddie choses the seat next to him instead of the gurney. It brings them close together, arms pressed against each other, legs, too. 

“I know. I’m sorry it took me so long.” They aren’t talking about Eddie finding his way into the ambo truck. They both know it. It’s not like they need many words right now. They are on the same page, that’s what counts. The big talk can wait for later.

“Been waiting for you to catch up. But you are here now. You are, aren’t you?”

“I am.” 

Buck nods, satisfied, eyes happy and glittering with something akin to hope. Eddie thinks his faith in them is astounding and prays for his own to be strong enough. When Buck shifts closer and Eddie can wrap an arm around his shoulders, he’s pretty sure it is.

It is kind of natural to tilt his head, lean against the headrest and look at Buck. Eddie takes him in. Curls wild, untamed after his shower earlier. Lips stretched into a smile that looks equally soft and kissable. His eyes seem to wander between Eddie’s and Eddie’s lips. Which promptly pull into a smirk. Buck laughs out loud at that, shakes his head and then simply just moves in.

Fingers tangled in soft curls Eddie drags him closer until their lips finally meet. Tentative at first, then bolder and finally exploring. They kiss and nip and kiss some more for what feels like hours. Tangled in the seats of the ambo, enclosed in a bubble that’s just their own in the middle of the night during a 24 hours shift. It’s just so... them.

Eddie pulls back first, drawing in deep breaths and drinking in the sight of a grinning and gasping Buck. Lips kiss-swollen and cheeks painted with a high flush Buck looks as happy as Eddie feels right now. Heart hammering in his chest he presses their foreheads together and simply just is.

He is carding fingers softly through Buck’s hair and is about to move Buck’s head onto his shoulder when his eyes drift lower. The light in the cabin isn’t all that bright, just the one shining in from the bay through the windows. But Eddie would recognize the army green anywhere. 

He simply slips his fingers under the collar and tugs a little. Just so that Buck’s looking at him, eyes soft and knowing.

“Last call?”

“Yeah. Needed to feel warm again.”

Eddie nods in understanding. This is a thing Buck does now. Has been doing ever since the well. Only, Eddie hadn’t been looking close enough. Now he is. Now he sees Buck and the love shining in his eyes. Eddie’s infinitely glad he listened to Hen. That Eddie can provide the warmth in person. He pulls Buck back against him so that they are all cuddled up.

A soft kiss pressed against Buck's temple follows and then Eddie gestures to the cell phone that’s lying abandoned in Buck’s lap.

“Alright. Show me some cats.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had one scene of this in my head for ages. I had to write it, I'm just not sure that everything around that scene makes sense or even makes for a story worth telling.
> 
> All remaining mistakes are mine.  
> <3 Thanks, A.


End file.
